


Hiding in Plain Sight

by marksmom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse (description of results), Hurt/Comfort, Language, M/M, Mpreg, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-09-07
Packaged: 2017-11-13 07:46:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marksmom/pseuds/marksmom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even though Voldemort is gone, there are still threats to Harry's life, the Dursleys amongst them. A rescue is planned, but when a certain redhead's heart is captured, does he want it back?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rescue and the Results

“Now Bill, go get Harry and come right back.” Molly Weasley looked at her oldest son. “We don’t know how those Muggles have been treating him and I’m so worried that we haven’t heard from him.”

“Will do, Mum” Bill leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Charlie, you ready?” At Charlie’s nod, Bill smiled at Molly and disapparated, Charlie right behind him. 

~OOooOO~

They apparated directly into the kitchen at Number 4 Privet Drive, hoping that the popping noise wouldn’t wake up the Muggles.

“Charlie, what time is it?” Bill whispered. 

“12:05...Happy 18th Birthday, Harry!”

Bill smiled and led the way down the hall to the stairs; he halted by the cupboard under the stairs and carefully picked the lock. Charlie shook his head, “Where the Hell did you learn to do that?”

“Gringotts, where else?”

As soon as Bill had the door open, he stuck his head inside to look for Harry’s trunk; what he saw astonished and sickened him. There, in the cupboard under the stairs, was indeed a small cot, covered in a thin, dusty blanket, on top of that were Harry’s trunk and his broom. After Bill had levitated the trunk off the cot and out of the door he turned to Charlie, who was staring in horror at the small bed.

“Merlin!” Charlie breathed. “How...?”

“Don’t think about it...this is why we’re here; to get Harry away from these people.”

Leaving the trunk and broom at the bottom of the steps, Bill and Charlie carefully made their way up the stairs.

“Which one is Harry’s?” asked Charlie in a whisper.

Bill shrugged, “Don’t know...use process of elimination.”

As it happened, the first door they came to was covered in several different types of locks, but it did have a small flap cut into the bottom of the door; not wanting to think about what the flap was for, Bill knelt down and peered through it. “This is it...Alohomora!” Bill whispered the spell and the door opened with a slight squeak. Charlie went into the room first, startled to see nothing but a wand pointed directly at his chest.

“Harry, its Charlie Weasley.”

The wand slowly lowered and Harry’s head popped up out of the invisibility cloak. “Charlie?” Harry’s voice was barely there, a weak croak. “Wha...why’re you here?”

Charlie crept over to the bed as Bill came into the room. “ We’ve come to get you Harry. We’re taking you home with us.” Bill was roaming around the room, looking at everything and nothing at the same time. He turned quickly and asked “Is there anything else, besides your trunk, broom and Hedwig’s cage, that you need from here?”

“No...never coming back...just get me out of here.”

Charlie noticed Harry’s clenched teeth and pale, sweaty skin. “Harry, are you alright?” As Charlie put his hand on Harry’s back, fitful moonlight streamed in and highlighted the spectacular bruising along Harry’s neck and jaw.

“Lumos!” Bill hissed.

As the blue light from the tip of Bill’s wand spilled over Harry’s face, Charlie’s knees threatened to buckle; he reached out a shaking hand to gently touch a large purple bruise that spread over Harry’s left eye and cheekbone. “Gods, Harry! What have they done to you?”

“Don’t ask, just get me out of here before they wake up.” Harry looked around and wrapped the blanket around himself and his wand; he opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly, going even more pale as he shifted on the bed.

“Charlie...Bill? I don’t think I can walk. How am I supposed to leave if I can’t walk?” Harry’s head hung down and he looked as if he would cry.

“I’ll carry you.” Charlie very gently slid his arms underneath Harry’s legs and behind his back. “Alright there? I’m going to lift you now.” As Charlie tightened his grip and straightened, Harry gasped and whimpered in pain.

“Bill, I’m going straight to St. Mungo’s.”

“NO!” Harry hissed. “I’m _**not**_ going back there, just got out...please, take me to the Burrow. Please!”

Bill nodded slightly and followed them down the stairs; shrinking the trunk, broom and cage, Bill slipped them into his robes and looked around. “Go now, Charlie. I’ll be there...shortly.”

“Uh-uh,” said Charlie, shaking his head. “I need you to help side-along with Harry. I don’t want to hurt him...well, not more than he already is.”

Bill paused and then nodded again, placing a gentle hand on Harry’s right arm. “Front walk, Charlie.”  Charlie gave a short nod; Harry heard a slight pop, felt a huge wave of pain crash over him and everything went black.

As the two men reappeared in Ottery St. Catchpole, Charlie looked down at the younger man in his arms. “He’s out, Bill.”

Bill heard the catch in Charlie’s voice and looked carefully at his brother. Charlie’s head was bent toward Harry and Bill thought that Charlie was trying hard not to cry.  “Let’s get him inside and I’ll go get Poppy Pomfrey...Mum can help get him settled.” 

~OOooOO~

Three long hours later, Madame Pomfrey came out of the bedroom and gave a heavy sigh; she walked down the stairs, intent upon letting everyone know how Harry was, now that she had healed the worst of his injuries. Molly heard her coming and ushered her into the kitchen where Bill, Charlie and Arthur Weasley were sitting, drinking tea and staring morosely at the walls.

When they saw the mediwitch from Hogwarts, Bill and Charlie stood up and started to ask questions; the older witch held up a hand to stop them. “Please sit and I will tell you everything I found.” They resumed their seats and Poppy began speaking:

“Broken left tibia and femur, three broken ribs, punctured lung, broken nose, fractured jaw, a concussion and severe internal bruising, no internal bleeding other than the punctured lung, but that happened within the last six to seven hours and bleeding was very light. Nothing life threatening, since you got me so quickly, but it will take him quite some time to heal completely. He will continue to bruise as his body heals from the injuries. I repaired all the breaks and internal injuries, but he will need very close care for at least three to four weeks.”

Molly put her hands up to her face and started crying; Arthur put his arms around her and began to rock her gently. Bill dropped his head into his hands and took a harsh, shuddering breath; Charlie stared straight ahead of him, his mind whirling. “Bill? Why did I stop you from staying there?”

Charlie jumped up and bolted out of the door. “ _ **CHARLIE!**_ ” Bill shouted as they all heard the very loud crack of Charlie disapparating.

 ~OOooOO~

Vernon Dursley gave a great start when he heard his wife, Petunia, scream; he heaved his bulk off of the bed and went down the stairs as quickly as he could. When he got into the kitchen, he halted, staring at the tableau before him.  Petunia was standing by the refrigerator and Dudley was standing in front of her, protecting his mother; there was a large, well-muscled red-head sitting at his kitchen table, idly twirling a stick of wood in his hand. Only as he thought about it, did the meaning of that particular stick of wood penetrate his mind.

“ _ **OUT OF MY HOUSE!**_ ” Vernon roared, his face turning a very unhealthy shade of purplish red. “ _ **OUT!**_ ”

Very quietly, Charlie Weasley stood and flexed his arms in a pretense of stretching; he did not smile, even though he wanted to smirk evilly at Dursley. He turned and pushed in the chair he had been sitting on; allowing one eyebrow to slowly rise, he silently gestured with his wand for all of them to sit at the table. Very carefully the Dursleys walked to the table and sat, waiting nervously for Charlie to say something.

“I’m going to assume you don’t have any idea who I am, but, then again, it might be best if you don’t know me. I am a friend of your nephew. You know...Harry. The one whose safety you were supposed to assure. Strange though, when my brother and I came to get Harry last night, he looked anything but safe.” Charlie started to twirl his wand in his fingers again, making the Dursleys cringe and sink into their seats.

“Harry had been injured, and, judging by the scope of his injuries, they did _**not**_ occur during a fall down the stairs. This means that someone in this household caused the injuries.” Charlie felt his upper lip curl into a snarl and he leaned on the table, staring intently at Petunia. “I will say what I am going to say only once." His voice was quiet with menace. "Harry will never be coming back, you damn near killed him this time. You owe him more than you could possibly ever imagine. He was placed in your care as a baby and you treated him as if he was rubbish, like he wasn’t good enough to grace your doorstep. Did you know that, four months ago, Harry saved the world from the Dark Lord? Did you know that he risked his life so that every man, woman and child on this spinning hunk of rock could still live and breathe? How did you repay that debt to him? You allowed your lump of a son and whale of a husband to beat Harry to within an inch of the very life he risked for you.”

Dudley tried to sink further down into his chair and looked ashamed at these words. He had never _**really**_ hated Harry, but if he didn’t do as his father wanted...he didn’t want to disappoint his parents. “Is he...is he going to be alright?” Dudley whispered.

Charlie slowly looked him over, noting the very pale face and the sheen of tears in his eyes, and asked “Do you really care? Or are you just asking to keep me from trying to do anything to you sorry lot?”

“No, I really care...I didn’t want to hurt him, I just...” One single tear slid down the side of Dudley’s face as his parents stared at him in horror.


	2. Revenge and Plans

A very emotionally and physically exhausted Charlie apparated back to the Burrow. _Gods how I hate having to Obliviate people_ , he thought roughly. He stood in the yard and scrubbed his hands over his face to try to clear the image of a tearful Dudley Dursley trying to explain to him that he was scared that his father would take it out on him, if he didn’t do as he was told. Charlie believed him; Vernon Dursley was that twisted. Dudley was actually really remorseful about what he’d done; the boy almost begged him to take him back with him to apologize to Harry. At that point, Charlie knew he’d have to _Obliviate_ them; so, having removed all memories of Harry having been there this summer from their minds, he turned and left.

Bill came out on the front walk and watched Charlie; he knew his brother didn’t have it in him to hurt the Dursleys, so he wondered what he’d said to them. Charlie’s shoulders slumped and he turned around and saw Bill.

“No, I didn’t hurt them.”

“I know...you’re not cruel. What _**did**_ you do?”

“Let them know what they had done and then _Obliviated_ them.”

Bill put an arm around Charlie’s shoulders and steered him into the house. “Harry’s not awake yet, and I’m pretty sure you’re dead on your feet...come on.” Bill held on to Charlie as he stumbled up to his room and then helped him into the bed; as Bill was shutting the door behind him, he saw Charlie curl into himself and start sobbing silently.  Bill came back in and closed the door, throwing up a complicated locking spell and an imperturbable charm for privacy. He sat on the side of the bed, pulled an unresisting Charlie into his arms and tried to comfort his brother as best he could.

Charlie’s sobs became louder and more harsh as he gave vent to his emotions; Bill just held him, letting him cry himself out, helplessly rubbing Charlie’s back and whispering nonsense to him. As his sobs died away, Charlie fell into a light sleep; Bill gently kissed the red hair and got up from the bed. He left the room, putting the silencing charm back up, so that Charlie could sleep.

As he walked back into the kitchen, Molly looked at him with weary, tear reddened eyes. “Is he alright?”

“He will be, Mum. He’s asleep right now, so I put up a silencing charm. He didn’t hurt them, just _Obliviated_ them.” Bill sighed as he sat at the table. “Get Dad, please? We need to talk.” 

~OOooOO~

Charlie slowly came to consciousness and became aware that Arthur was sitting on Bill’s bed, across from him. _He looks old, like he’s aged overnight_ , Charlie blinked at this thought and felt slightly disloyal to his father; he sat up and groaned slightly.

Arthur looked up at him and smiled. “Come downstairs...Family meeting.” Throwing an arm around his son’s shoulders, Arthur looked at him. “Harry’s still out...Poppy said that it might take a full day for him to wake up.” Arthur seemed to weigh his next words before saying them. “The family meeting is more like a private Order meeting...this concerns Harry and his safety. Bill has heard some rumours and wants to talk to you before talking to Harry.”

Intrigued, Charlie let his father lead him into Percy’s old room, now Arthur’s study, and leave him alone with Bill. Bill was slumped in a comfortable armchair with what looked like a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. “I’ll take one of those, if there’s more.”

Bill got up and poured Charlie a full glass of Ogden’s Best and refilled his own; Charlie’s eyebrows rose up and he threw a questioning look at Bill. “Will I need that much?”

Charlie got a sense of foreboding as he recognized that Bill was in leader mode; he knew that, whatever had put Bill back into leader mode, it must have scared him badly...and it concerned Harry...and him. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the glass from his brother and relaxed into the other chair.

“Charlie...I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to talk about Harry without him being here, but I really haven’t much choice.” Bill sighed and took a large gulp of the firewhiskey, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat. “I have been hearing rumours for a few weeks now, about the remaining Death Eaters. The rumours concern Harry’s safety, now that Vol-...Vol-...The Dark Lord is dead. I’ve heard that some of the Death Eaters, Malfoy, Sr. in particular, are talking about killing Harry because he killed their master.”

Charlie stared at Bill in stunned horror. “Is this _**ever**_ going to end?” He took a deep breath and sipped at the firewhiskey, relishing the burn. “What do I need to do? I won’t let anyone hurt Harry again.” He sighed and flopped back against the chair. “Just tell me what I need to do and let me do it.”

“Don’t agree to anything without hearing me out first, okay Charlie? I don’t want you to think you _**have**_ to do anything...it was just a thought I had.” Bill took another rather large sip of firewhiskey.

“Bill? Are you _**trying**_ to get drunk?” Charlie had never known Bill to resort to liquid courage before and the fact that he was, was disturbing. “Is it that bad that you need to drink before asking me to do something?”

“Charlie...” Bill set the glass down on the floor and put his head down in his hands. “I don’t want to have to ask you to do anything; I know that any of us would do almost anything for Harry, but, right now, you’re the only one who has the ability to just leave the country. You have a place in Romania...”

“What’s that got to do with...wait! You want Harry to come back to Romania with me? Are the threats real? What about his recovery from what the Muggles did to him?” Charlie was in shock...were the rumours true? Could he actually take care of Harry like he needed? And if he was to be alone with Harry, how, in the name of all that’s holy, would he be able to keep his hands off of him?

“Charlie, I won’t ask you to do this...only Harry can. But, I would like to make the suggestion to him. I won’t lie to Harry; he has to know the reason why it's being suggested. Mum was adamant that Harry stay here, but I really don’t think that it would be a good idea; it wouldn’t be safe.”

Bill hung his head slightly again, and now Charlie realized why. Of all of his family, only Bill and Arthur knew of his preference for men...and only Bill knew that Charlie had feelings, other than just familial, for Harry. 

What would the Wizarding world think if they knew that their saviour was bisexual? Most of them wouldn’t think anything of it, but there was that small contingency, like his parents, who wouldn’t be as accepting. When Charlie had tried to come out to Arthur, his father had sat there, looking like he had been hit in the face with a bludger; Arthur had stammered and asked Charlie not to say anything to Molly about it. He hadn’t tried to tell either one again. 

Nobody had known about his feelings for Harry, until he and Bill had gotten pissed one night last year and started swapping seduction stories, or, in Charlie’s case, fantasies, because he had never seduced anyone, let alone had anyone try to seduce him. He’d had more to drink than he thought because, before he thought about the wisdom of revealing his secret, he was blurting it out to Bill. Bill had cleared his throat and recommended that Charlie keep that information to himself; he certainly didn’t want to know.

It had come as a shock to Bill, though, when, less than a week later, Harry had starting asking Bill questions about _**his**_ sexuality. Harry had admitted to him that he was definitely more attracted to men than to women; he had wanted to experiment and thought that Bill would be a wonderful, willing test subject. Bill had gently set him to rights and had gone up the stairs to the room Charlie was using at Number 12 Grimmauld Place; Bill had been agitated but had finally told Charlie what Harry had wanted to experiment with. He had made Charlie promise that he wouldn’t tell Harry that he, Charlie, was gay until he was of age in both worlds.

Now Charlie knew why Bill was drinking...Harry was of age in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds now and could make his own decisions...and Bill was asking him to take Harry away with him. 

~OOooOO~

It was his turn to sit with Harry; to Charlie, it didn’t resemble anything so much as an exercise in futility. He tried to reason with himself; told himself that, just because he fancied Harry, it didn’t mean that Harry would take a fancy to him. _Seriously_ , he thought as he looked at his arms and legs, stretched out before him on the bed, _Who would choose to be with a bloke like me? Covered in burns and scars, choosing to live day in and day out with beasties that can, and probably will, kill me one day?_ The depressing thoughts chased each other around his head.

Charlie was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t see Harry stir slightly and open his eyes. Tired green eyes travelled appreciatively down his body before returning to his face. Wondering what had etched the sadness so deeply there, Harry watched him a bit more before breaking the silence.

“Knut for your thoughts.”

Charlie’s eyes widened and flew to Harry, lying on the other bed, watching him. A smile of genuine happiness lit Charlie’s face. _Merlin!_ thought Harry, _He’s gorgeous!_

Charlie leapt off of the other bed and knelt down beside Harry. “You’re awake! How do you feel? Do you want anything to drink, to eat? Let me go get Mum and Bill!”

“Wait, hold up there!” Harry almost laughed at the eager expression on Charlie’s face. “Let me wake up and ask a couple of questions first.” Harry thought for a moment. “Are they still alive?”

“Only you, Harry,” said Charlie with a smile. “Yes, they’re still alive, but they have no clue that you were there at all this summer.”

“Good. What did you do with Dudley? Did you play magical bouncing ferret with him?”

“Huh?” Charlie looked perplexed. “Magical bouncing...? Are you thinking alright, Harry? Madame Pomfrey did say that you have a concussion, maybe that’s affecting your thoughts.”

“No, just something that happened in fourth year....remind me to tell you about it later.” Harry tried to shift, to lie on his side, but stopped and groaned. Charlie gently shifted Harry so that he could turn on his side comfortably. Harry’s breathing stopped for one long moment, before starting again in a rush that he really hoped Charlie hadn’t noticed.

“I didn’t do anything to hurt them. Just told them a few truths and Obliviated them.”

“Alright...not that I would have objected to you hurting them a little, but I wouldn’t want someone to do that for me. I’d want to do it myself, if it were going to happen.” Harry was silent for a moment, then realized that he was staring at Charlie like an idiot and lowered his gaze to his hands. “Thanks Charlie; if you and Bill hadn’t come for me, I...I’m not sure I would have been ‘The Boy Who Lived’ for much longer.”

Charlie closed his eyes and swallowed audibly; opening his eyes again, he looked at Harry. _Gods! His eyes are beautiful!_ Harry realized he had to get a grip on himself. 

“You know we would do anything for you, Harry. Mum and Dad consider you to be another son; they wouldn’t want anything to happen to you either.” Charlie sighed. “Now that you’re awake, let me go get them, and Bill; I'll get Ron and Ginny, too, so that you can get all the tears and wailing over with now.”

Charlie grinned as he stood up and placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder; Harry chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, best to get that over with right away.” 

~OOooOO~

After everyone had come in and cried and carefully hugged Harry, he was left alone with his thoughts briefly. _I couldn’t have asked for a better family, even though they aren’t really mine._ His face darkened as he thought about his blood family, the Dursleys. _At least I don’t have to go back_ _ **there**_ _again!_ He tucked his arms behind his head and thought about his future...the future he never thought he’d get to live.

The door opened slowly and Molly’s head peeked around the edge. Looking back into the hallway, she said “He’s still awake.”

Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie filed into the room. Bill turned and muttered a locking spell and an imperturbable charm; Harry stared at him. “Bill, is that going to be necessary?”

He nodded. “Yes Harry, I think it will be.” Harry recognized the leader in Bill’s voice and tensed. _What now?_ he thought sadly, his ideas of a future popping like soap bubbles.

Harry shifted carefully so that Molly could sit on the bed next to him. Arthur and Bill sat on the bed opposite and Charlie sat on the floor, resting his arms on his knees.

Bill thought for a moment and then sighed. “Harry, you know I would rather do anything else than tell you what you need to do, right?” Harry nodded. “Over the last few weeks, I’ve received word of rumours about the Death Eaters still in hiding. There have been threats made about your safety, because you killed their master.”

Harry dropped his head back, wincing as it made contact with the headboard of the bed. He sighed softly. “If the rumours are true, I’m not safe until I can heal completely; and wherever I am, those around me aren’t safe, because they will be trying to protect me and not themselves.” Harry slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. “What are my options?”

Bill looked at Arthur and nodded at him to start. “Harry, the first option is always that you can stay here. We’ll make sure the wards are strong enough...” Arthur broke off as Harry’s face flushed in anger.

“No! I _**refuse**_ to risk anyone in this house again! This will be the first place that they come looking for me; none of you will be safe!” That ended that option. “Next?”

Bill nodded in agreement; that had not been an option for him either, but he felt that he had to let his parents make it, and had known Harry would turn it down. “I will be going back to Egypt soon, to tie up some loose ends.” At Harry’s curious look, Bill smiled. “I’ve been offered, and have accepted, the position of Chief Curse Breaker at Gringotts here in London.”

Molly, Arthur, Charlie and Harry all broke into wide smiles and congratulated him. As Bill was hugged wildly by his mother, he looked over her shoulder at Harry. “You can come with me and then come back to London when I do. I already have a flat set up and waiting for me.”

Harry thought about that for a moment. “Any other options?”

“Well, you could always go to the United States and attend one of the wizarding universities there.”

“No, I don’t think I want to do that...next?”

At this, Bill looked at Charlie. Charlie turned to Harry and looked at him. “Have you ever thought about dragons, Harry?”

“You mean since the Tri-Wizard Tournament? Sometimes...not frequently, but I have wondered how you do whatever it is that you do.” Charlie flushed a little and he went into a little more detail, telling Harry only a tiny portion of the responsibilities he had.

Molly started to shake her head. “No, I can’t allow that...what if you get hurt even worse than you already are? No, that is not an option either.”

Harry slowly turned to look at Molly. “I’ve never gone against your wishes while I have been under your roof, Mrs. Weasley...”

“Molly, dear, call me Molly.” She said this while patting his leg as if he were five years old.

“Alright, Molly. As I said, I’ve never gone against your wishes before, but I am now an adult in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. I think that it’s time I was allowed to make my own decisions about my future.” Molly’s eyes started to fill with tears and she shook her head again. “Please Molly...I _**will**_ _**not**_ put anyone in this house in danger, not while I have any kind of control over the matter. I also will not abuse the feelings and the caring behind your and Arthur’s offering your house to me. Simply put, it is too dangerous for me to be in England right now. I can see that...I need to heal completely before I can even think about coming back; staying in England is not an option for me right now.” Harry looked at his hands. “How long do I have to make my decision?”

“We would need to make arrangements within a few days, a week at the most. We will need to arrange a portkey for you to wherever you choose to go. We might also want to arrange for one of those Muggle chairs with wheels...just so that it will be easier for you to get around.”

“What if I chose to travel as a Muggle? Would that create other difficulties?”

Bill’s eyebrows shot up into his hair, but he mused this over. “No, it shouldn’t; would you still be using your magic?” 

Harry laughed, “Hell yes! I’m finally legal in both places; you don’t honestly think that I’m going to give it up now, do you?”

Everyone laughed at that, even Molly. Harry could tell she was waiting to get him alone to try and talk some sense into him; he would ask Bill and Charlie to make sure that didn’t happen. Harry’s mind started to whir as ideas came to him about how to arrange what he wanted to do. He would need to spend some time with Bill, Charlie, Ron and Hermione; they needed to figure everything out, to see if they could find the best way to go about this.

“Bill, would I need a secret keeper?”

Bill’s eyes closed in thought. “You know Harry, that wouldn’t be a bad idea...but, please, make sure it is someone you would trust with your life. Not that your parents knew that they had chosen wrong, but make sure it is someone that will never, under _**any**_ circumstances, give out the details of your location.” Bill opened his eyes and looked at Harry. “Do you know someone who would who would be willing to die rather than give up your location? Do you know someone who you would trust giving that sort of information to?”

“Yes, Bill...I think I do.”

Arthur looked at Harry. “You sound like you’ve already made up your mind, Harry.”

Slowly, Harry looked at each one in turn and smiled. “I have.”


	3. The Escape and Wanting

Ron apparated to get Hermione, while Harry begged Bill and Charlie not to leave him alone with their mother.  "You know what she's like, better than I do. She'll do everything she can to try to make me agree to stay here. I won't be responsible for anyone in this family being harmed because of me...and you know that's what _**will**_ happen."

Harry's brain was still producing ideas about what to do and how to get it done. "Bill, Charlie? I think that it would be better for everyone if I went to Romania, after travelling about a bit. No one would really think to look for me there. We will have to come up with a plan to get me and Charlie there safely, but what I've got in mind should work, at least to get me out of England."

The brothers looked at each other and then back at Harry, waiting for the younger man to continue.

"No matter where I go or who I'm with, one or more of the Death Eaters will be watching me, waiting for me to be alone."

Charlie interrupted, "You're not going to be alone; that's _**not**_ going to happen."

"I know, hear me out. As I said, they will be waiting, so we need to remove the chance that they could get to me. We'll have to act rather quickly, sooner than I want to, but, because of my injuries, we don't have the time to spare. We, Ron, Hermione and I, will go to London; I need new clothes anyway...but the three of us, me in a wheelchair, will go shopping. I will get whatever I need and then, at a pre-arranged signal, Bill, you will apparate me, the wheelchair and my purchases to your new flat. Does your family know where it is yet?"

"No, but how will I see a signal?"

"Charlie will be watching me at all times; when the signal happens, he'll apparate to you, tell you where I am and you will apparate to me. Charlie will have appeared to have left the day before, but he will just go to your flat. You'll have to disguise yourself Charlie, so that no one recognizes you, but that will be easy enough with glamours. With Charlie supposedly gone to Romania, everyone will think I'm going with you."

Bill sat back, stunned. "Damn, Harry! Why didn't Dumbledore realize what a brilliant strategist you are?"

"He did, but refused to let me help plan anything because of my connection with Voldemort." Both older men flinched when Harry said the name. "Do you think it will work, Bill?"

"Yes, I do believe it will work." Bill thought a bit. "Have you given any thought as to who your secret keeper will be?"

"Yes, but that will come later. For now, let's just worry about getting Ron and Hermione to agree to this." 

~OOooOO~

" _ **NO!**_ You are not going to run the risk of being captured by Death Eaters! I am _**not**_ going to stand by and possibly watch that happen! You know how dangerous this is, and you want to do it anyway? I can't believe that you would _**willingly**_ take that chance!"

Harry had expected this argument, but hadn't figured on the direction it would come from. Hermione sat on the bed opposite Harry, Bill and Charlie and watched as an agitated Ron paced the floor of the bedroom. She understood the risk, but, she also saw the need to get Harry to safety. "Ron, this _**will**_ work. Harry knows what he's doing; the plan is very sound." She watched Ron, still pacing back and forth.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to Harry, you know that, don't you Ron?" Bill had kept silent about Charlie's part in all of this; he was supposedly heading back to Romania tomorrow.

"You're all nutters!"

"Ron, if you don't go, it'll have to be Ginny, and I don't want her involved. Please...I'll be safe. I have to get out of England quickly and this is the only way to ensure that it goes as planned. Most of the plan hinges on you and Hermione." Harry looked at Ron pleadingly. "Please Ron, I need _**you**_ to be part of this. Bill will have this cloak, so that you know it's him." Harry held up a bright green cloak, so that Ron and Hermione could see it. "Bill will apparate in and say your name, so that you make eye contact and know it's him; then he and I will apparate out. 

~OOooOO~

This is a _ **really**_ bad idea, Harry." Ron muttered under his breath. The shopping had gone as planned and Harry now had everything he would need; he had shrunk his purchases down to fit into a rucksack that he could hold onto during the manoeuvre.

"I know, but it'll work, you'll see." Harry smiled and gave Ron and Hermione quick, tight hugs. "Now, turn me to face the window; that's the signal he's waiting for." Harry didn't tell them who _**he**_ was, so that they wouldn't know.

Less than 30 seconds later, Harry heard the soft pop of Bill apparating next to him. "Ron." Ron met Bill's eyes and nodded. "Hang on Harry."  Bill placed one hand on the wheelchair and one on Harry's arm and, then, they were gone.

Hermione turned around to say something to Harry and screamed when she realized that he was no longer behind her. She looked at Ron and fainted into his arms. 

~OOooOO~

"How did it go?" Charlie was waiting for them at Bill's flat.

"Everything went perfectly, thanks to Harry's strong planning skills."  Bill crouched down in front of Harry. "Who's your secret keeper?"

Harry smiled at Bill. "You are." Bill looked stunned and a little pleased that Harry trusted him that much; he vowed to keep that trust.

Bill and Harry watched as Charlie cast the Fidelius Charm that bound this secret between them. Bill noticed that Charlie had included himself as a secret keeper and wasn't surprised even though they'd never discussed it; Charlie was very protective of his family, both blood and extended...not only that, but he would have to be a secret keeper to know where Harry was.

Bill hugged Harry tightly and, then hugged Charlie tighter. "Go. Now. Before I regret letting you leave." 

~OOooOO~

Bill apparated into the Burrow and found himself in the midst of chaos. Arthur was sitting on the floor, holding Molly as she cried, sobs wracking her body. Fred and George were sitting at the table staring blankly at each other, tears leaking out of the sides of their eyes; when Bill tried to question them, they didn't seem to hear him. Ginny was curled up on the sofa, crying as if her heart would break; Bill gently touched her hair, but, if she felt it, she gave no sign.

Quickly going up the stairs to Ron's room, he went in and found Ron and Hermione, holding each other, but otherwise dry-eyed.

"Bill, please tell me that _**was**_ you, _**PLEASE**_!" Ron whimpered. Bill sat on the bed and hugged both of them close.

"Yes, it was me...Harry's safe now."

Hermione looked at him and whispered "Are you his secret keeper?"

Bill struggled to look confused. "I thought you were." 

Hermione's eyes widened and filled with tears. "No, he wouldn't let me...I tried." She started to sob.

Bill looked at Ron. "You...?" Ron just shook his head and buried his face in Hermione's hair.

Bill drew a long breath and got up off of the bed. "Bill, d'you think...maybe...Charlie?"

Bill looked at Ron. "Merlin, I hope so." As he left the room, Bill sighed. _Gods how I hate being in charge._  

~OOooOO~

All told, it took 2 weeks for Harry and Charlie to reach the reserve in Romania; they travelled slowly because of Harry's injuries and because Harry wanted to see Paris. The travel was a strain on Harry, so his injuries didn't heal as quickly as they should have.

"Well, we're here now. You're just going to have to take it very easy for a while." The tone in Charlie's voice brooked no argument from Harry.

"I will. Thanks Charlie...for letting me stay with you and for going with me. I know it wasn't easy, having to care for me and haul me halfway across the continent at the same time." Harry's head dropped down, his chin almost resting on his chest. "I just hope I won't be in your way here."

Charlie knelt down in front of Harry. "You won't be...I wouldn't have made the suggestion if it was going to be a problem for the reserve...and you are _**never**_ a problem for me. Now," Charlie stood back up, "since we did the Fidelius charm, you are _**not**_ Harry Potter while you are here; no one is going to recognize you. What name do you want to use?"

Harry's startled green eyes met Charlie's smiling blue ones. "I get to have a whole new name?"

"Yeah, if you want it. You can still go by Harry, but you should pick a different last name, just to be safe."

Harry thought for a minute. "Weasley...I want my last name to be Weasley."

Charlie's breath caught and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. "Well, then, Harry Weasley, let's go get something to eat." 

~OOooOO~

Harry didn't know what explanation Charlie had given the other dragon handlers, but they accepted him as Charlie's mate. Only after they had been at the reserve for about two weeks did Harry realise what kind of mate they thought he was. They thought that he and Charlie were bonded; Harry wondered if Charlie knew this and, if so, how he felt about it...Harry was determined to find out.

"Charlie?" Harry asked after supper that night. "When you explained to the other handlers about me, what explanation did you give them for my last name?"  Harry was surprised when he saw a blush start to creep up Charlie's neck. "Did you know that they think we're bonded?"

"Erm...ah...yes." By now, Charlie's skin was almost the same colour as his hair; Harry was fascinated. He thought that Charlie was unflappable...apparently not.

"Why do they think that?" Harry was enjoying watching Charlie squirm. Not that he didn't like the thought; it was quite arousing to think of Charlie Weasley as his bond-mate. But it couldn't be further from the truth; he knew that Charlie was straight, so the fact that he had told everyone that they were bonded was extremely intriguing.

"Jenkins asked why your hair was black when mine is red; if we were brothers, the colour would be the same. That explanation was the first thing that came to mind." Charlie was nervously shifting in his seat. "It was the only good explanation I could think of quickly."

Harry was silent for a moment. "Well, it does fit how a person with hair like mine would end up in a family full of redheads." He looked at Charlie and noticed that the blush intensified briefly and then started to recede. "Does it bother you?"

Charlie didn't look up as he fiddled with his glass of firewhiskey. "Not really...you are practically family, after all. It's just a little odd; everyone keeps commenting on it and it's hard, sometimes, to remember what to say." Charlie jumped up to start clearing the table.

Harry smiled slyly and decided to go easy on him. "I've noticed that the handlers don't use much magic. Does it bother the dragons?" Charlie grabbed onto the lifeline that Harry threw at him and launched into an explanation of the effect magic has on dragons, as he washed the dishes by hand.

 ~OOooOO~

The days slipped by and they fell into an easy routine; Harry would cook all of the meals and Charlie cleaned up afterwards. Charlie knew he wasn't all that great in the kitchen, so he was happy to let Harry do the cooking; he seemed to enjoy it.

The only cloud on Charlie's horizon right now was his increasing attraction to Harry. He had hoped that having to share close quarters with the younger man would be enough, but his wayward thoughts and emotions didn't seem to want to obey. The only time he didn't think about Harry almost constantly was when he was out with the dragons; but, even then, the thoughts would sometimes break through his concentration. The latest time was just an hour ago and Charlie had paid the price for allowing his attention to wander; he had a new burn and would have a new scar to show for it. After being cared for by the reserve's medi-witch, he was sent home to recover for a few days.

As he limped through the door, he saw that Harry wasn't about; sighing in relief, he started to remove his singed clothing. He heard a slight noise, like a moan, and went to investigate; nearing Harry's door, he realized that the noises were coming from inside. The thought that he should have knocked first only occurred to him _**after**_ he had pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted him held him frozen in the doorway; Harry was lying on the bed, completely nude, sporting a rather large erection for such a small man. Charlie watched, dry-mouthed, as Harry's hand worked up and down the stiff shaft while the other rolled his balls back and forth; from the noises Harry was making, he was close to orgasm. As Charlie watched hungrily, Harry's sac tightened and he started to come.

_**"Charlie..."** _

Charlie quietly closed the door and grabbed his shirt off of the chair in the sitting area; he walked outside and quietly closed the front door. His head was spinning and he was shaking.

_Harry wanted him._


	4. Bill and the Twins

"Dad, I have no clue where he is; he didn't make me his secret keeper. For all I know, Harry's over in the States...he could be in China." Bill knew he was pushing the parent/child boundary and turned to look at Arthur. "Why are you so persistent about this?"

"Your mother." Arthur looked at Bill and realized that, even if Bill _**was**_ Harry's secret keeper, he wouldn't tell anyone. "Have you heard from Charlie?"

"Yes, I've heard from Charlie...you've been pestering him, too, I hear." Bill looked at his father in exasperation. "Dad, Charlie doesn't know where Harry is any more than I do." 

~OOooOO~

Charlie made more noise as he came in the front door a second time, to warn Harry he was home. Harry walked out of his room slowly, favouring his left leg.

" _ **SHITE!**_ Charlie, what happened?" Harry came over to him and put an arm around his waist to support him; Charlie's breath hitched. "What happened?"

"Dragon." Charlie chuckled as Harry scowled at him.

"I figured that part out on my own, thanks very much."

"Well, you asked, and I told you. I've already seen the medi-witch, so I'm good."

"Come on, let's get you settled in your room." Harry, by sheer force of presence, propelled Charlie into his bedroom and waved his hand at the lamps. They instantly flared to life, casting light so that Harry could see the burn.

"Damn Charlie! What happened? And if you say 'dragon' again, I'll hex you into next week."

Charlie didn't pay any attention to the question; he was more interested in how Harry had lit the lamps without his wand. "Harry, you mind telling me how you did that?"

Harry flushed and lowered his head, so that Charlie had to strain his ears and move closer to hear him. "After the final battle, after I recovered, I found that I was able to do most of my magic without a wand. I forgot that no one has seen me do that; I hide it because it just makes me feel even more like a ...like a freak."

Charlie sighed. "Harry, you are _**not**_ a freak. Look at me." Harry lifted shadowed eyes to meet Charlie's. What you can do...the wandless magic...is something every witch and wizard would pay to learn. Do you think it comes from being hit a second time with the killing curse?"

Harry nodded and dropped his eyes to the duvet. "Since I got out of St. Mungo's, I've practiced; everything has come to me so easily. It's almost like my hands are now my wand; the magic is more powerful, too. It's like, at Voldemort's death, he gave me his magic, but none of it is dark." Harry blew out a quick breath. "That's why I feel like a freak; I mean...what else did he give me? I'm still a Parselmouth, but I can do that anytime now, even when there's no snakes around. I can control my magic much better than I could before; it's not quite so wild and all over the place. I'm just scared to find out what else I've 'inherited' from him.

Harry stood and started pacing the floor. "I've not told anyone about it; I don't want the Ministry to come and want to run more tests on me. It was bad enough when I was in St. Mungo's. Every time I woke up, there was another medi-witch and another test ordered by the Ministry."

Charlie's jaw dropped. "You mean _**DAD**_ forced you to have tests run?"

"No Charlie...not your father; the tests ended when he was elected Minister." He was not going to tell Charlie that Percy had signed the orders. He didn't think Percy would survive if Charlie got a hold of him. "The person responsible was fired right after the tests stopped."

Charlie's eyebrows raised and then lowered into a scowl. "Percy," he growled. He got off of the bed and headed toward the fireplace in the sitting area. Throwing a small handful of powder into the hearth, Charlie said "Bill Weasley" into the green flames.

"Charlie, no, don't!"

Bill's head appeared in the flames. "You called?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Come on through; got something you need to hear."

Bill threw some powder into the flames on his end and stepped through, into Charlie's sitting area, a few moments later. "What's up, Charlie?" He took in the scowl on Charlie's face and the battle-ready stance. "What's wrong?"

"Tell him, Harry."

"Charlie..."

_**"TELL HIM!"**_  

~OOooOO~

Bill sat in his chair, held in place by shock. "Percy ordered tests run on you like you were an animal." Bill slowly shook his head, coming out of the shock. He bared his teeth and growled low in his chest; he could feel the wolf rising, demanding release, demanding retribution for his 'brother' and fought to control it.

Charlie put one arm around Harry's waist, to get them both out of the way, if necessary; he had not seen Bill this angry in some time, and it was frightening. Harry had never seen him this way, not even in battle; Harry felt Charlie's arm tighten when Bill stood and shook himself.

"I need to run Charlie. Where is it safe?" His voice was still low and gravelly, but there was more human than wolf in his eyes now.

"There's a path behind the cabin...leads away from the enclosures. Be careful."

Bill left the house and took off at a slow run down the path that Charlie had indicated. He couldn't believe that anyone, let alone his own brother, would do something like that to another human being. The thoughts kept coming, so he continued to run, to keep the wolf restrained; he didn't transform like a full werewolf, but he felt the alpha male urges to protect his pack.  After several hours, he finally returned to the cabin. He found Charlie sitting on the sofa, Harry's head in his lap; Harry was sleeping and Charlie's head was nodding, but he came instantly awake when Bill entered the cabin.

Bill motioned with his head to put Harry in his room. Charlie tried to stand, but the burns were still too fresh to allow him to stand with Harry in his arms; Bill came over and lifted Harry out of Charlie's arms and placed him gently on his bed. He left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Bill slumped back in his chair. "I can't do anything. If Dad would find out that I beat the hell out of Percy because of those tests, he'll know that I know where Harry is."

"How about, after Harry comes out of hiding, you and I go pay Percy a little visit?" Charlie grinned at his brother.

Bill's answering smile was feral. "You're on!"

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Bill, working up his courage, asked Charlie a question that had been haunting him. "Charlie?" A small, tired grunt was his response. "Have you and Harry...well...you know?"

Charlie let loose a snort of laughter and met his brother's curious eyes. "You want to know if Harry and I have had sex?" Bill nodded. "What if I told you yes, we have? What would you do? Harry and I are both adults." Charlie watched Bill flinch and couldn't continue. "No, Bill, we've not. Harry thinks that I'm straight and I haven't corrected the assumption."

"Why? As you said, you are both adults."

"Yes, but he is still healing, and now, so am I. He may never get back the full use of his left leg, and me?" He looked down at his right thigh.

"What happened?" Charlie could hear the concern in Bill's voice.

"Dragon." Charlie laughed as Bill had almost the same reaction Harry had earlier.

"Gee, really? I wouldn't have guessed."

Trying to steer the conversation away from his burn, Charlie asked Bill about things back home. "Have you caught any more of the Death Eaters?"

"Actually, I was going to come over here tomorrow, to talk to you and Harry. We've captured 6 of them; Malfoy, Sr. and Crabbe are still out there, but we're getting closer. We have a spy in Malfoy Manor."

Charlie's eyebrows shot skyward. "Who?"

Again, Bill's smile was feral. "Draco Malfoy. He came to me and asked for protection from his father; said that he was sick of everything, and for the protection of the Order, he would give up his father and Crabbe."

"He's _**willing**_ to give up his own father? What if he's just trying to worm his way in and find Harry, so that he can give his father the information??

"Thought of that; I ave him a dosed up drink to get it out of him." At Charlie's look, Bill grinned. "Veritaserum works wonderfully in Muggle lagers, I've found."

Charlie couldn't quite smother his surprised laugh. "What did he say?"

Bill went on to explain that Draco, figuring his life was ruined anyway, had come to Bill at Gringotts to talk to him; Draco had not once asked about Harry. Under the Veritaserum, he had revealed that he hated his father for trying to kill his mother in the final battle, when she'd told Draco to run from him; he wanted revenge and then he wanted to get on with what was left of his life. He wanted nothing from the Order, save their protection after he gave his father's location. The Order was now just waiting for Lucius and Crabbe to return to the manor from an effort to find Harry.

After discussions back and forth, Bill decided it was time he left. Before he could leave via the floo, he and Charlie heard the sound of someone apparating behind the cabin. Charlie quickly woke Harry and tried to get him to leave.

"No, I can get them faster than either of you."

Bill and Charlie watched, fascinated, as Harry made 2 small jerking motions with his hands; they heard a repeated thudding against the outside of the cabin. The brothers carefully crept around the side of the cabin and found Fred and George being forcefully thrown against the back of the cabin.

"Harry, _**STOP**_! It's Fred and George." Bill hissed through the open window; as Harry's head popped out of the window, the twins were released. Charlie let Bill deal with their brothers and went inside to find Harry quickly shoving clothes into a rucksack.

"Harry, you're not leaving."

"I hurt them...I hurt them!" Tears were beginning flow down his cheeks and he started to shake.

Charlie put his arms around Harry and held him tightly. "Harry, you didn't know it was the twins; you couldn't have known. You're not leaving...at least, not without me." Charlie took a deep breath and looked at Bill, standing in the doorway. "If you want to leave, we'll leave. But, remember, no one but Bill and I know you for who you are."

Harry looked up quickly. "Are you going to tell your brothers the same thing that you told the handlers? _**That**_ should make for interesting dinner conversation." His sarcasm was unmistakable.

Charlie flushed, but kept calm. "If you want me to. They will not recognize you, so it could be the perfect explanation of who you are and why you're here." Little by little, he felt Harry relax, the tension slowly leaving his slender frame.

"I'm sorry Bill. Did I hurt them?"

"No, just knocked them out; trust me, Harry, they've done worse to themselves." He looked at Charlie. "What explanation did you give the other handlers? Just so that Fred and George think that I was already in the loop."

Harry folded his arms across his chest and waited...surprisingly, he didn't have long to wait.

"When we got here, Harry took the Weasley name as a precaution. The next day, the handlers met Harry and several of them pulled me aside and asked why my brother had black hair, not red. The first thing I could come up with was that Harry wasn't my brother, he was my bond-mate."

Bill's eyes widened slightly. "Well, if that works for you, Harry, we'll just let it go at that. I can almost guarantee that Fred and George will notice the 'resemblance' you bear to Harry Potter and will comment on it."

He gestured to Harry's glasses. "Do you want to keep those, or do you want a different pair? I could even correct your vision, if you want."

Harry's eyes grew wide and then thoughtful. "Try to correct my vision first." Harry took off the frames, laid them aside and shut his eyes.

Bill muttered a few phrases and touched his wand to Harry's eyes. Harry felt as though someone was squeezing his eyeballs like they were made of clay. "Alright Harry, open your eyes slowly."

Harry slowly lifted his lashes and, for the first time in his life, was able to see clearly and properly without the horrid glasses he hated. He blinked and slowly looked around. Seeing Bill and Charlie looking expectantly at him, he smiled broadly and hugged Bill. "Thank you! Thank you, so much!" 

"I'll take it, then, that you can see." Bill smiled at Charlie who looked stunned; Bill realized that, without the glasses, Harry's eyes were even more of a bright green.

Seeing the look on Charlie's face, a look of calculated speculation came into Harry's eyes. It was as if he was truly looking at Charlie for the first time.

_Merlin help you Charlie._ Bill thought. _Nothing's going to stop Harry now._


	5. The Twins Again, Burns and 'The Talk'

Bill, Charlie and Harry sat at the kitchen table drinking tea and, in Charlie's case, firewhiskey, until the twins regained consciousness. Bill knew that Charlie was trying to control his reaction to the sight of Harry without glasses; Bill thought that, had he been gay, or even bisexual, he would probably want Harry, too...even being straight, Bill realized that Harry was just beautiful.

Hearing groans coming from the other room, they all got up and trooped into the sitting area. Fred and George were lying side by side on the floor, so the three men sat on the sofa and waited.  Fred woke first and grabbed his head in agony; George followed very shortly thereafter and did the same. Harry quietly whispered and pointed at them, to take away their headaches. The twins sat up and groaned at each other and then looked around, surprised to see Bill, Charlie and a dark haired stranger.

"Fred, I know it's not him, but doesn't that chap look a little like Harry?"

"Yeah, it's kind of scary, but no glasses; Harry needs them."

Bill leaned down to Harry and whispered, "Told you."

"Bill, What happened? We apparated to Charlie's and then were met by the side of a house that seemed to want to hurt us." George shook his head to clear the remaining fog.

"And who's he?" Fred pointed at the young, dark haired man on the sofa.

Charlie spoke first. "Harry, you'll have to forgive those two on the floor. To my everlasting shame, they are two of my younger brothers; Fred is on the left and George is on the right."

Harry smiled at the twins and looked first at Charlie, then at Bill. "I never would have guessed."

Bill looked at Harry. "Have you ever heard of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes? Well, you have now met the brains, such as they are, behind the name."

"I've heard of it, yeah. Great gags!" The twins smiled and thanked Harry.

"Well Charlie?" They stood up.

"Are you going to introduce us..."

"Or just sit there like a great lump..."

"While we draw..."

"Our own conclusions?"

Charlie watched Harry during the conversation and chuckled at the way his eyes moved back and forth between the two. "Yeah, it's sort of like watching a tennis match." He looked at his brothers and cleared his throat. "George, Fred, I would like you to meet Harry Weasley, my bond-mate."

George sat back down on the floor and Fred's jaw dropped open. "Shite, Charlie!"

"When?"

"How?"

"Does Mum know?"

"To answer your questions in order, one-not right now, two-about three months ago, three-in the usual way and four-no, and you're _**not**_ to tell her."

Fred and George looked at each other, then back at Harry. "Charlie, did you say..."

"...Harry?"

Charlie sighed. "Yes, his name is Harry."

The twins looked at each other again in silent communication. "Um...Charlie? Do you realize how much he looks like...?"

"Yes, now stop." He should have known; the twins were nothing, if not dogged in trying to ferret out information.

They came over and dropped to their knees in front of Harry. "How can we express..."

"Our gratitude that..."

"...Someone _**finally**_ was able..."

"...To tame Charlie Weasley?"

Feeling a little wicked at deceiving the twins, Harry looked at Charlie. "Are they always like this?"

Charlie snorted softly and hugged the twins. "Yes...and I don't think I would want them to be any other way."

Fred and George gaped at Charlie and blinked rapidly, as if trying not to cry. A single tear found it's way down Fred's cheek and George wiped it away. They each hugged Charlie, then turned to Bill and hugged him; when they turned to Harry, he shrank back on the sofa, not at all certain he liked the look in their eyes.

"Guys, don't scare Harry, he's new to all of this. For the last few months, it's been just him and me." Charlie gave them a look that had them backing away. "Oh, and Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Don't _**EVER**_ eat _**anything**_ that the twins have given you, alright?" 

~OOooOO~

Bill and the twins stayed for dinner, which Harry cooked. They kept glancing at Harry and then at Charlie. Charlie watched this happen a few times and then put a stop to it. "Knock it off you two; you're going to scare him." Charlie rested his arm along the back of Harry's chair and crossed his left leg over his right knee; the pain made him hiss and straighten up immediately. He had forgotten about the burns on his right thigh.

"Charlie?" Harry asked, concerned. "What is it? Are the burns hurting more than they did before?"

"Yeah, with all the exercise today, I must have torn open one of the burns." Charlie felt like his thigh was on fire. "Got to go get something on it; I'll be back in a few minutes." Charlie groaned in agony as he tried to stand.

Bill and George assisted Charlie into his bedroom, Harry following and lighting the lamps again with a flick of his fingers. Bill gaped slightly as he watched Harry; magic seemed to crackle all around him as he tried to make Charlie comfortable and take the dragon-hide trousers off of him.

"How can I see the burns if you won't take your trousers off?"

"Harry, these are not coming off while you are in this room. Get out and let me take them off and then you can look at the burns."

"C'mon Harry, you can come with me to say goodbye to Fred and George. Charlie? Do you need anything before I get the twins out of here?"

"No...thanks, Bill, for taking care of getting them home; after connecting with the wall like they did, they'd most likely splinch themselves trying to apparate."

"No problem. Harry, fire-call me tomorrow and let me know how he is, alright?"

"I will...thanks Bill."

After they shut the door, Charlie lay in the bed trying to get his breath back; pain was coursing up and down the muscles in his thigh and it was getting hard to hold back the tears. He managed to get his left leg out of the trousers, but realized that he'd need help with the right leg; it seemed to be stuck in places and he didn't want to tear anything more than he already had.  He heard the door open and realised that Harry had come back in the room to help him. "Harry, go get a bowl of warm water and a couple of cloths. The trousers are sticking in some places and they need to come off."

As Harry went to get the water, Charlie tried to ease into a sitting position; the pain rolled over him and he had to stop. He covered his lap with the sheet and lay there trying to breathe through the pain; tears slid down his face into his hair. He barely heard Harry as he came back into the room.

"Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me?"

Charlie nodded once.

"Alright, Charlie. I'm going to knock you out while I do this. You're not going to want to be awake for it."

Another nod.

Harry muttered the spell under his breath and sighed when he felt Charlie relax into unconsciousness. He carefully applied damp cloths to the outside of the trousers, soaking them, so that he would be able to eventually take them off. After a little bit, he was able to roll the trousers off of Charlie's leg. One of the newly healed burns had re-opened and had started to bleed; fortunately, it wasn't inflamed or warm to the touch. Harry began to concentrate; holding his palms over the wounds, he began to chant a healing spell, drawing strength from deep inside himself. The wounds began to glow slightly as new skin formed and torn, burnt tissues began to knit closed.  How long he stayed like that, Harry didn't know; by the time the glow faded, Harry was well past exhausted.

"Rennervate."

Charlie woke from the spell just in time to see Harry collapse to the floor. He scrambled off of the bed to get to Harry, mindless of his burns; he picked Harry up and laid the unconscious wizard on his bed.

"Harry, please wake up! Please Harry, open those green eyes, Sweetheart!" Charlie gathered the younger man in his arms and began to rock him gently; tears came to his eyes again, but he paid them no mind. He bent further over Harry, cradling him closer as the tears spilled over. "Harry please, you have to wake up." Charlie felt a calloused fingertip trace the path of a tear. He looked down into luminous green eyes.

"You're crying for me?" A small smile lifted the corners of Harry's mouth. "No one's ever cried for me before."

"You're wrong there Harry. I've cried for you a few times already, you just weren't awake to see it."

Harry became serious and looked Charlie in the eyes. "How...How's the burn?" Charlie had the feeling that was not what Harry had wanted to say. He looked down at his right thigh and gasped; yes, there was a scar, but it was completely healed. New skin had formed where there had only been a light covering of scar tissue. 

"What the hell did you do, Harry?"

"Healed you; I don't know how I did it, I just did." Harry gently ran his fingers over the new skin and Charlie groaned lightly; jerking his hand away, Harry looked at Charlie again. "Did I hurt you?"

Charlie felt like he was drowning in those green eyes. He felt his resistance slipping and knew that, before this night was over, he and Harry would become lovers. "No" came the whispered reply. "You didn't hurt me."

Harry reached up again, this time to trace Charlie's lips. "Harry" he groaned. "If you don't want me to snog you senseless, you'd better stop now."

"What if I don't want to stop? What if I _**want**_ you to snog me senseless?" 

Charlie didn't answer, he just pressed his lips to Harry's, running his tongue over the lower before pressing between them. Harry opened his mouth to Charlie with a sound of pleasure. Harry found himself lying back on the bed; Charlie hovered over him, raining kisses down his jaw to his neck. Arching, Harry's head tilted back to give Charlie more access. Charlie growled as he kissed his way back up to Harry's lips; he claimed them with a deep, passionate kiss that made Harry want to curl his toes. His eyes shot open as he realized Charlie was _**snogging**_ him... _ **Charlie**_ , who was straight, was snogging him like there would be no tomorrow.

"Charlie...Charlie, stop."

Charlie lifted his head to look at Harry. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Charlie, you didn't do anything wrong." Harry drew a shaky breath. "Charlie...you don't have to kiss me, if you don't want to. I don't want you to feel like you have to."

Charlie sat up and pulled Harry into his arms. "We do need to have a talk, don't we? Before this goes any further."

_Here it comes_ , thought Harry sadly. _'The Talk'_.


End file.
